Whatta Ya Think About Hsu Research Subwoofers?

Tim, they were rhetorical questions.  As I mentioned, I use 4 subs in my main system.  My point was that there are a few people that make pronouncements that may be "true" for them, but they may not be truisms for everyone - "you have to have four subs", "subs are for home theater", etc.  What's "best" for one system, one's listening tastes, and their room may not be for someone else.

Tim,

I'm a fairly good writer, but understand that sometimes things like sarcasm, jokes, and also rhetoric aren't always easy to pick up on in a medium like this forum.  

The system I mentioned with two subwoofers belongs to a member of our local music club.  I don't recall all of the equipment in his system, or the exact models of his subs, but he had Harbeth Super HL5 Plus speakers (which I purchased for my system after hearing his) and one JL Audio and one Rel sub. 

I'm not sure I have the vocabulary to describe it, but the bass in his system was immediate, articulate, and powerful when bass notes were present, but not overwhelming.  He had a lot of room treatment (bass traps, diffusers, absorption panels, maybe more) and if I recall, his subs were placed in opposite corners of the room.  He mentioned that he had endlessly tweaked his system to achieve the bass performance we heard. 

There were about six or seven of us there and we all took turns sitting in different seats during our listening.  There was of course a "sweet spot" for the best imaging from the speakers, but the bass had no noticeable peaks or nulls in any of the spots where I sat.  It was a relatively small room (maybe 16 X 20 feet?), but it opened into another room on one side.  To my ears, it was one of the best, maybe even the best system that I've heard.  The clarity of the speakers, the soundstage, the imaging, the integration between the subs and the speakers were all sublime.  That's not to say it might not have even been better with another sub or two, but it was a really involving and dynamic listening experience with no apparent flaws that jumped out at me.

My room is bigger and has a few nooks and crannies and opens into my kitchen/dining room.  I have four subs - two Rythmik F25 subs and two SVS SB13 Ultra subs in my system.  It sounds great, and I don't notice any peaks or null spots and when I listen from my kitchen, there's no "boominess" or "one note bass", but it's not as dynamic as his system was.  My guess is that has more to do with the quality/power of his subs and the sound treatment in his listening space.  I've been adding room treatments and continue to experiment with placement of both the speakers and subs, sub settings, and other variables. 

I enjoy my system, but that system set a benchmark for me of what's possible.  That includes comparisons to a $100K system in a dealer showroom, and a number of other systems, both in treated showrooms at dealers and other friends who have high-end systems.  I appreciate and enjoy my system and have put it together on a relatively modest budget.  Employing four subs definitely took it to another level, using equipment I already had, but had only used for home theater in the past.

If budget is an issue, SVS has some affordable sealed subs. I have one of their older SB-12 NSD subs in my computer room system. 

I found HSU to be a step along the path to finding good subs.  I started out with a couple of Klipsch subs, which were complete garbage.  I then had a couple of HSU subs including the VTF-1, a VTF-3 MK3, and a VTF-3 HO.  The VTF-1 was surprisingly good for the price (200 bucks at the time?).  The VTF-3 MK3 was a solid performer.  The VTF-3 HO sucked.  It bottomed out really easily.  I bought it second hand, so maybe it was damaged, but when I contacted HSU and asked about it, they acted like that was "normal".  

I moved on to SVS, Rythmik, and Power Sound Audio and never looked back.  They all seemed to be better built and to have more output and tighter bass than the HSU subs I had.  Maybe a little more expensive, but more value for the dollar. 

That was a couple of generations of HSU subs ago, so maybe they've stepped up their game with their latest offerings. 

My impression of them was that they are the Emotiva of the subwoofer world.  Affordable and sound OK, but for not much more money you can have better build and sound quality.

If "prodigious amounts of bass is your thing", what difference does it make how you get it, whether it’s speakers or complementing speakers with a subwoofer (or multiple subs)? Even if you just want a "realistic" amount of bass, again, why does it matter how you achieve that?  A purpose driven device (the subwoofer) just might be better than one that’s trying to be a jack of all trades (the speaker).

And it doesn’t have to be 4 subs. I have 4. Having 4 is awesome and a great option, but might not be the best solution for everyone. It’s certainly not an option in my 12’ X 12’ room where I have my Harbeth P3ESR’s set up. A single entry level 12" sub works great in that system.

The best subwoofer integration I’ve heard to date was done with two subs. Compared to that system, I feel like my 4 subwoofer system is more of a band-aid than a best of class solution. Not that mine sounds bad, it’s very good, but there’s always more than one way to skin a cat.